Woodland police officer injured in scuffle, patrol K9 subdues suspect

A Woodland police officer was assaulted and injured while wrestling a suspect to the ground in the early morning hours Saturday. The officer's K-9 police dog ended the scuffle by biting the suspect on the arm.

Reggie Joe Dickerson, 44, a transient from the Sacramento area, was booked at the Yolo County Jail on felony charges of resisting an officer using force, resisting an officer and causing injury, and violation of probation. He is being held without bail.

The officer, who was not identified by Woodland Police Department, stopped Dickerson on his bicycle about 12:45 a.m. in the 100 block of West Main Street, for riding on the sidewalk and not using a light, according to police reports.

During the traffic stop, the officer discovered Dickerson was on probation for grand theft and could be searched. While conducting a search of the suspect, he felt an item in Dickerson's shirt, and when he tried to retrieve it, Dickerson spun his body and caused the officer to lose balance, police said.

While the officer attempted to regain control of Dickerson, the suspect repeatedly elbowed the police officer, police reported. In the struggle, both were thrown to the roadway. Dickerson then threw the item, described as a glass pipe, onto the street, police said.

The officer released his dog from the patrol car, and the dog bit Dickerson on the left arm, causing the suspect to become subdued. The officer held Dickerson at gunpoint until other officers arrived and handcuffed the suspect.

The arresting officer sustained a serious, but non-life threatening, injury to his hand and minor scrapes to his body, Woodland police said. Both the suspect and officer were treated for their wounds and released from local hospitals.